Saying More Than Words
by Dekkasaurus
Summary: How they meet, and what sparks between them. A collection of one-shots, either friendshipping, romantic, or just silly stuff. Prompts for most Gem ships. (Currently: Pearlidot, Polygems, Lapidot, more to come)
1. Welcoming Party

Pairing: Light/Early Pearlidot

AU: Human/College

Warnings: swearing (once/twice)

Summary: It started with loud music. Somehow, maybe they'll tolerate each other.

* * *

Welcoming Party

College was supposed to be fun; hardworking and tiring, yes, but fun nonetheless. At least, that's what Pearl was told when she first stepped onto the grounds of her new campus a week ago. Friends waved their opinions of how great it was supposed to be in her face. Her family shoved it down her throat.

Pearl couldn't argue that it wasn't enjoyable; the classes were interesting and kept her questioning her previous knowledge and yearning for more, and the campus itself was relatively clean. But after spending her day studying and at lectures, sometimes spending an hour with Garnet and Amethyst in between, she just wanted to collapse into her bed and rest for at least a few minutes.

She'd only been here for a week, and already Pearl felt her patience and tolerance snapping. She asked for a dorm to herself for a specific reason; for peace and quiet. And whilst she technically _did_ get exactly what she asked for, she was not pleased to know that her next door neighbour wasn't so peaceful. Maybe she should've asked for an entire hallway to herself.

Pearl threw her keys on the kitchen counter, letting out an irritated growl at her neighbour's headache-inducing music thudding through the paper thin walls. Running a hand through her short peach hair as a reaction to stress, she flipped the kettle on to boil. If she was going to keep quiet about the racket her party-goer neighbour was making, she needed to inhale two litres of tea right that second.

At least the whistling of the boiling kettle was rivalling the deafening music.

Groaning and massing her temple, Pearl sunk onto a stool, crossing one leg over the other as she pried a book off her kitchen table. Maybe she could drown at the insufferable music by letting her mind run wild in the world of fiction.

A steady beat and deep bass vibrated the walls, even making her teaspoon next to her mug rattle against the ceramic countertop.

No, apparently she couldn't drown out the music.

Folding her book, barely even chancing a glance at the words on the page, Pearl trudged to the now boiled kettle, pouring herself a cup of caffeinated tea (she almost chose camomile tea, but she needed a wake up call). She watched in disdain the ripples cast in her tea with each beat.

She decided the second she finished her tea, she was going to solve this dispute with her neighbour.

Bitterly, Pearl thought, _At least Garnet and Amethyst don't make this much noise_.

Flicking a glance towards the walls away from the source of music, she thought about what her friends would do if they were in her position. Pearl laughed to herself. Knowing them, they'd encourage and join in with her neighbour, no doubt it. But alas, Garnet and Amethyst were a few doors too far away to be bothered by the music.

After roughly fives minutes of passive-aggressively sipping her tea, Pearl finished her drink and placed the mug in her sink, quickly filling it with water and dishwashing liquid.

So, maybe she lied. Maybe she was going to see her disrupting neighbour after she did the dishes. She couldn't leave the house dirty, after all.

Drying her hands on the tea-towel draped on the oven handle, Pearl took a deep breath. She had given her neighbour plenty of time to lower the volume of her intolerable music, and yet the past week was still filled with the sounds of bass rumbling through her house. She forced on a proud smile; at least now she'd get the peace and quiet she ordered.

After grabbing her keys and locking the door after her, she pocketed them in her pale pink denim shorts. Taking a deep breath through her nose and stressfully running a hand through her hair again, she knocked on her neighbour's door with her other hand.

After a few moments, Pearl wondered if she was heard. Frowning, trying to refrain from grounding her teeth, she knocked again, this time with more force.

"Just a moment!" someone called out from behind the door, their voice high-pitched and squeaky. A… _unique_ tone, but Pearl wouldn't call it entirely pleasant.

And as promised, a moment later the door creaked open a few inches, half a face poking out through it. The figure, the top of their head barely reaching Pearl's collarbones, raised an eyebrow underneath large glasses skeptically.

"May I help you?" they asked, their tone indicating that, no, they _didn't_ want to help Pearl at all.

Pearl wasn't sure if she was talking to a girl or a computer. Their tone had changed to something more tolerable now that they weren't shouting, but Pearl couldn't help thinking they sounded like one of the text-to-speech AIs on her computer.

Along with that, Pearl visibly flinched as the music raised in volume with the door semi-open.

"Yes, actually," she answered curtly, placing both of her hands on her hips in a mother-like fashion. "Your music is excessively loud, and I've had to tolerate it for a week. Could you please keep it down in the future?"

The figure looked her up and down with one visible eye. "And you are?"

"Your neighbour." Pearl narrowed her eyes at the other person, noticing a few wild blonde locks sticking up in weird angles on their head. With reluctance, she extended her hand. "Pearl."

The other person glared at her for a moment with the visible eye, then opened the door a few more inches, exposing most of their face. Her neighbour was now glaring at her with two (alluring) green eyes under giant glasses, their pale cheeks puffing up as they huffed. Faint freckles dotted those cheeks, some straying onto their forehead and jaw. Pearl took her chances and guessed they were a female rather than a computer in disguise.

"Peridot," her neighbour greeted, gingerly shaking Pearl's offered hand. She retracted it to her side, sticking it into the pocket of her bright green hoodie. "Sorry, I can't turn down the music."

Pearl stifled a frustrated growl. "Why not?"

"Don't want to." And with that, Peridot slammed her door closed, leaving a stunned and rather aggravated Pearl standing in the hall.

Pearl seethed, almost baring her teeth in an animal like fashion. "Peridot!"

She rapped her knuckles on the door furiously, but received no reply from her neighbour.

"Tell me 'bout it," someone commented a few metres away from Pearl, and she whipped around to see a short girl leaning against the doorframe on the other side of Peridot's dorm. She seemed to be sipping a cup of coffee, and glanced at Pearl with tired eyes. "I've tried talking to her as well, but the same thing happened."

"It's infuriating!" Pearl almost screeched. "I've barely tolerated it for a week!"

The other girl shrugged, her golden hair waving off her shoulders. "Maybe you'll get used to it? I'm trying to. Or maybe you can try tomorrow."

Pearl eyed her neighbour suspiciously, but a small determined smile curled her lips. "Perhaps."

"Where are my manners, I'm Sadie," the other girl introduced with a lazy smile.

"Pearl."

Sadie hummed, taking a sip of her coffee and then raising it in the air. "Good luck."

Pearl merely ached an eyebrow as the smaller girl slipped back into her dorm, quietly closing the door behind her. Pearl re-entered hers, falling to the navy carpet and banging the back of her head on the door. "Thanks, I'm going to need it."

* * *

The next day, Pearl returned home to the same loud ear-splitting music. With Peridot's music shaking her dorm with every beat, Pearl frustratedly slammed her door shut and stalked to Garnet's and Amethyst's shared dorm.

Five minutes later, she found herself situated on Garnet's bed, sipping a mug of cranberry tea as she death-stared the small gap between her two friends.

She switched that gaze onto Amethyst when she howled with laughter. "Oh man P, your neighbour is giving you a _really_ hard time!"

"Shut up Amethyst, her music is terrible and loud," Pearl stubbornly snapped back, glaring at Amethyst with fire burning in her eyes.

"Woah, save the death-stares for your neighbour," Amethyst warned, holding her hands up in defeat. "It's just a tad funny, you gotta admit. Right, Garnet?"

"Amusing to us, irritating to Pearl," Garnet corrected, sending a small sympathetic smile to Pearl. "Try to reason with her every day, your persistence may win out. If it doesn't, I'm sure you can take it to the staff."

"Yeah, you're really good at arguing P," Amethyst unhelpfully encouraged. "Did you give her a piece of your mind today?"

Pearl took another sip, hiding her victorious smile behind her mug. She knew she shouldn't be, but she was proud that she was a stubborn conversationalist. "No, but I wanted your advice before I did."

"Well, I'm agreeing with Garnet. Use your verbal superpowers to like, convince her or whatever!" Amethyst sent Pearl a giant toothy grin, and the latter felt some of her previous stress unwind. Amethyst's enthusiastic mood was contagious, and Pearl found herself glad that despite her friend's ability to peeve her with anything she did, Amethyst could always cheer her up.

"Peridot's lucky we're not her neighbours," Garnet mused, then glanced at Amethyst. "Well, _I'm_ not her neighbour. Her door would've been smashed down by now."

Pearl giggled; Garnet wasn't a violent person, but with her physical towering appearance and stoic attitude, she was intimidating enough.

Pearl took her final sip of the tea and took it up to the sink, absentmindedly washing it. Amethyst snorted.

"Dude, you don't have to do our dishes."

"Nonsense," Pearl replied with a pleased hum as she hung up the mug on the dish rack. "It was my tea, so I should clean it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be kicking Peridot's butt."

"Yeah, you go P!" Amethyst called out behind Pearl, raising her fist in the air triumphantly, Garnet offering an semi-enthusiastic cheer over her shoulder. Pearl allowed herself a coy smile as she closed her friends' door behind her, striding down the hallway to stand in front of Peridot's door.

The music was once again deafening, but she wasn't going to let her better mood disappear so quickly. She tapped her knuckles against the rough wood of Peridot's door four times, crossing her arms behind her back afterwards.

The door creaked open slightly, one of Peridot's eyes glancing at Pearl through the slit. She held a coffee mug to her lips, and bags were under her eyes. "Oh, it's you."

"Yes," Pearl affirmed, glancing at her obviously tired neighbour. "I would like you to turn your music down, please."

Peridot groaned. "Look lady, I'm paying for this apartment, and I'm going to have my music turned up as loud as I want to."

"I wasn't asking." Pearl sent a cold glare at her neighbour. "You're disrupting not only me, but other neighbours."

"Go. Away." Peridot slammed her door shut, but Pearl caught it in time, shoving her foot between the door and its frame. She winced as the wood bit into the side of her foot.

Peridot stared wide-eyed at Pearl's braveness, then shrieked, "What are you doing!?"

"You are going to lower the volume of your music," Pearl instructed, glaring at the one visible green eye of Peridot.

Peridot huffed, staring at Pearl with annoyance. "Why should I?"

"I already told you, you're disrupting nei—"

"Okay! I get it!" Peridot yelled. "But maybe I like my music, alright!?"

Pearl sighed. "Just turn it down a bit, okay?"

"Move your foot first," the smaller girl commanded.

"Only if you promise to turn down your music."

"Okay, I promise I'll turn it down! Just move your bloody foot!" Peridot snapped.

Pearl frowned but obeyed nonetheless. The door locked shut.

"Psyche!" Peridot cried out over her music.

Pearl banged her fist against the door, her face twisting with fury. "Turn down the music!"

"No! Leave me alone, you fucking clod!"

Pearl seethed, a scowl darkening her vision. With a defeated sigh, she entered her dorm, glaring at the rattling objects in the room.

* * *

By the third day of trying, Pearl was ready to take the problem to the staff. She was not normally an impatient person, but Peridot's music was becoming unbearable. After an evening class, Pearl staggered through her hallway, glaring daggers at Peridot's door as she passed it.

With an ounce of determination, she dropped her luggage in her room and immediately stomped back out, not bothering with drinking tea to calm her nerves beforehand. She knocked on Peridot's door, beginning to lose hope of talking this problem out.

There was the sound of things falling and rattling in Peridot's dorm before the door opened. This time, instead of only a partial amount of Peridot's face being visible, she threw the door open halfway. Pearl glanced down at her neighbour, finally seeing Peridot in full for the first time. Pearl absolutely _hated_ the fact that she found her attractive, but moved on from that thought.

"Peridot, I'm not ask—"

She was cut off as Peridot slammed the door in her face without a word. Pearl growled, her temper snapping. _I didn't even get to finish what I was saying!_

Then Pearl's eyes widened in shock. The music was decreasing in volume. She finally got through Peridot's thick head. Pearl almost jumped in joy, before the door slowly opened again.

Peridot slumped a little, avoiding eye contact. With a sniffle, she pushed her glasses further up her nose and apologised, "Sorry I've been an ass."

Pearl offered a weak smile. "Um, thank you."

"You got what you want," Peridot snarled half-heartedly. "Now leave me alone."

Peridot closed the door behind her with nowhere near as much vigour as she had the previous two days. Pearl knew that she shouldn't interfere with other people's affairs, go against their wishes, invade their personal space, but something seemed off about Peridot's demeanour. She placed her arm between the door and the frame, and lightly pushed it open again. Peridot remained silent.

"Are you okay?" Pearl asked, worry seeping into her tone.

"Don't you get what 'go away' means?" Peridot deadpanned, her back turned to Pearl.

Pearl nodded even though Peridot couldn't see, and backed away from the door. At least she got what she wanted; peace and quiet. As the door squeaked shut and Pearl turned away, a hand shot out from the room and grasped Pearl's wrist. She glanced down at the tiny hand making contact with her skin, her sky blue eyes wide with shock.

Peridot's head hid behind the door. "Wait! I decided I don't want to be left alone."

Pearl admired her honesty; she too knew how it felt to push everyone away when all she really wanted was someone to stay. She never had the guts to say that though.

"Oh, um…" Pearl began, her cheeks heating up slightly. "Would you like me to stay?"

Peridot nodded meekly, widening her door further open.

 _The only reason I'm doing this is because she turned her music down_ , Pearl reasoned with herself, taking a small step after Peridot.

Peridot's dorm was much like Pearl's; whilst all the rooms in the building had the same or similar template, Peridot's was also rather clean and organised. Dishes still littered the sink, and some things were scattered across the ground, but everything was in neat piles, even if they were in random and erratic places. Pearl glanced at the walls, observing a few of the posters taped up; they were all electronic producers and video games that she had never heard of.

Peridot laid herself on the navy carpet, staring at the dull light globe above her head. Pearl awkwardly glanced around the room; was she supposed to sit on the floor too or?

"You can sit anywhere," Peridot grumbled behind the arm she lifted up to shield her face.

"O-okay." Pearl glanced around the room one last time before sinking cross-legged next to Peridot, but not too close. "Did you want to talk?"

"Can I learn about you?" Peridot asked, cocking her head to the side to gaze at Pearl.

Pearl blushed a little, noticing a few wild strands of Peridot's hair falling over her face. "After calling me a flipping clod?"

"A _fucking_ clod," Peridot corrected sourly, but sighed. "Sorry, I don't like making friends."

"You don't have to make friends with me, I just wanted you to turn down your music," Pearl assured, an awkward smile curling her lips. "And you did that."

Peridot fidgeted, returning her gaze to her forearm. "I was thinking maybe I could make an exception for you. Friends, that is, since we're neighbours."

Pearl sent a startled look at Peridot. "You're full of surprises."

Peridot waved her hands in front of herself sarcastically. "Surprise."

Pearl raised an eyebrow at the act. "So you wanted to know about me?"

"Yeah. I can tell you about my kick-ass life too."

"Well…" Pearl trailed off, staring at the ceiling as she composed her thoughts. "My major is music, I love to sing but I also play the violin and piano. I spend most of my time studying, so I don't really get out much, and excluding my friends from high school, you're the first student I've talked to at this college."

Peridot hummed her approval. "I'm majoring in game design, along with programming and engineering classes. That should be a big enough clue that I'm a huge nerd. My favourite word is 'clod', and my most hated one is 'cute'. That's about as interesting as I get. But, um, I'm honoured you talked to me."

Pearl laughed. "I yelled at you to turn your music down. How can you be honoured?"

"W-well, you wouldn't be here now if you didn't!" Peridot exclaimed, shielding her face with both of her arms.

"True." Pearl found herself gazing at where Peridot's face should've been, eyes trailing down her body and sizing her up. If she was honest, her neighbour looked really good in a green flannel shirt and black skinny jeans. "Why did you want me to stay?"

"I think you're… cool."

"Cool?" Pearl raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You barely know me, especially before opening your door."

Peridot fidgeted more intensely, rolling away from Pearl entirely. "W-well, maybe I find you attractive too!"

Pearl felt heat spread across her cheeks fast. A few people she knew had called her attractive before, but never a stranger.

"O-oh! Um, thank you Peridot," Pearl stuttered, a smile curling her lips without her approval. Hesitantly, she laid down next to Peridot, leaving comfortable room between them. She stared at the ceiling, trailing the stains somehow marked there with her eyes. With silence falling between the newly acquainted, Pearl finally recognised the quiet music playing in the background. Surprisingly, it didn't sound too bad now that it wasn't blaring.

"You know, your music isn't half bad when it's quiet."

"I made a promise. And now I know if I ever want you over, I'll just turn my music up."

Pearl smiled. Maybe Peridot wouldn't be as insufferable as she thought she would be.

* * *

A/N: my first prompt fic! based off the prompt - _"Person A is listening to really loud, weird psychedelic music. Person B lives right below them, so one day they go to complain to person A but when they get to the door, oh no person A is hot and they somehow find themselves laying on the floor of person A's apartment listening to this weird music, and it's not that bad."_ from otpprompts on tumblr

it's almost certain i will do more, but i'm not sure if i want to post each prompt separately, post them in bulk based on ship, or post them in bulk for all prompt fics ( this will become the fic where i'll post them all). if you review, please tell me which you'd prefer/think is better! i'm leaning towards the last two options


	2. Beauty of Earth

Pairing: Light Pearlidot

AU: Canonverse - set after Three Gems and a Baby

Warnings: N/A

Summary: Peridot discovers trains.

* * *

Beauty of Earth

When Peridot was first abandoned on Earth, she absolutely hated the planet and everything on it. After escaping multiple times from the Crystal Gems, and eventually being captured, Peridot was beginning to see the beauty of Earth. The first instance was the disastrous weather, the booming of thunder terrifying Peridot, but the rain being rather pleasant, despite only being falling lukewarm liquid from the skies. After that, she saw companionship, peace, love, _Camp Pining Hearts_ , and Earth technology.

After the second interesting instance of Earth weather, being a so-called snowstorm or blizzard, Steven visited the barn hours later, presumably the next day. He exclaimed something about his 'dad', whatever that was, and a place called 'Empire City'. From what he said, Peridot inferred that he was taking a 'vacation' to the city with his whole family, which included herself and Lapis. Peridot couldn't reject after being called a part of Steven's family, and especially not after his seemingly excited and hopeful expression.

After spending almost an Earth year on the planet, Peridot had grown accustomed to the bizarre and interesting things she had encountered. She had learned to accept the beauty of Earth. Now, she had to accept the less beautiful parts.

This was the first time she truly despised Earth after her initial entrapment on the planet. The city itself was insufferable enough, with all of it's loud noises and intoxicating fumes, but this was pushing it. Literally.

Peridot was crammed between stuffy crowds of stinking humans, her body constantly squishing against everyone else's. She started to regret not going with Steven, Greg, and Lapis to wherever they were going. Instead, she had to live with her choices; being on a train with the rest of the Crystal Gems.

Apparently the other gems hadn't visited the city regularly either, and with some convincing from herself and Amethyst, they eventually agreed to explore the city 'human-style'. Lapis backed out and stayed with Steven, still not quite comfortable with the Crystal Gems. Peridot was honestly a little disappointed; her and Lapis had grown quite close over the months, perhaps even more so than Peridot with the rest of the gems.

Peridot decided to take the opportunity to maybe get closer with her counterparts. Not that that opportunity was present now that she was stuck in a train.

Peridot slammed her back into an unknown passenger, a loud grunt coming from the other person.

"Watch it, you cl—"

A hand wrapped itself in front of Peridot's mouth, muffling her insult and making her scowl. She gazed up with the ferocious glare, wavering slightly when Pearl offered an apologetic smile to the other passenger.

"Sorry about that," she muttered to the passenger, then removed her hand from Peridot's jaw.

"What was that for!?" Peridot yelled as she heard laughing to her side. She whipped her head around, glaring at Amethyst sitting on Garnet's shoulders. "This isn't funny!"

As Amethyst went to retort that _yeah, it was_ , the train rocked and Peridot tripped over her feet, slipping face-first onto the dirty floor. Amethyst burst out into hysterical chuckles as Peridot growled.

 _Why can't these stupid CLODS make some room!? Why can't I reach any leverage!? WHY AM I STUCK!?_

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her midsection and lifted her to her feet, tugging her close to their legs.

"Unhand me, filthy human!" Peridot snapped, pulling against their grip.

"Not a human," Amethyst mentioned through uncontrolled snickers. Peridot swore she even heard Garnet trying to restrain chuckles.

Peridot glanced up, feeling the unwelcome touch of heat on her cheeks. Indeed, Pearl wasn't a human, or filthy. She was looking away from Peridot, over the shoulder of some human probably.

Peridot squirmed. "Sorry Pearl, I didn't realise it was you."

"It's okay, just stay close to me," Pearl responded, sending a warm glance down to Peridot. Pearl's arm on her relaxed, slinking back to her side, and a jolt of fear coursed through Peridot. She was hardy, but she didn't exactly appreciate tripping on her face in a crowded, moving vehicle.

She wrapped her slightly chubby arms around Pearl's leg, holding on close and resting her head against her waist. Peridot felt safer this way.

She glanced up, noticing Pearl rigidness, and was met with wide blue eyes and a growing teal blush. One thing Peridot never understood was how gems managed to grow colour on their face despite the lack of capillaries, or a circulatory system in general.

"I don't want to fall," Peridot explained in a grumbly voice.

"Riiight," Amethyst singsonged, a coy smile curving her lips.

"Amethyst," Garnet lightheartedly warned, raising a finger over her head and placing it in front of the purple gem's lips. Amethyst groaned.

Pearl tentatively slid her arm onto Peridot's back. "I won't let you fall."

Peridot felt her face grow increasingly hot and the ribcage area of her form tingling with… _feelings_. She squeezed her eyes shut and stuck her nose into Pearl's sash, hiding the way her form was reacting. She could almost hear Steven's voice - " _Awwww!_ "

Peridot was just glad to feel safe huddling against Pearl. Maybe that was another beauty of Earth.

* * *

A/N: prompt - "Person A is too short to reach the railings on the subway/bus, and all of the other poles are taken so they have to hold onto Person B instead." from otpprompts on tumblr

i'm learning less can be more with these prompts. i've got four pages of prompts, and not all of them are for Pearlidot, so expect more ships! (either in separate fics for their ships, or bulked with this one, still undecided)

Guest: _literal_ Pearlidot fireworks, that would make a great one-shot. but thank you for the review!


	3. Moisturise Me

Pairing: Light Polygems (Garnet x Amethyst x Pearl)

AU: Human

Warnings: N/A

Summary: Apparently setting up a pool peacefully is impossible.

* * *

Moisturise Me

It was a rather sunny and pleasant summer day, the sun's rays bright and hot, but not overbearing. Lately, the weather had been a bit iffy, due to summer only beginning. But after a few days of on and off raining, the sun finally decided to make an appearance. According to the weather forecasts, the summer weather was here to stay.

Which meant it was time to set up the pool.

Despite the fact that they had a beach down the road.

The three of them were at Garnet's parents house; studying at university meant compromising living situations, but Garnet had no problems living with her mums. However, they were out, Ruby at work and Sapphire shopping, which meant less hands to set up.

Not like Amethyst and Pearl were helping much anyways.

Pearl was pulling out two sun lounges, one from the undercover and the other from the shed, so that was some help. Amethyst, however, was wandering between Garnet and Pearl whilst licking her newly opened ice-cream.

"Amethyst, are you going to help or what?" Pearl bitterly asked as she dragged the second seat out of the shed.

Amethyst looked Pearl up and down, taking in the fine details of her back muscles as she pulled the seat. Pearl was as skinny as a stick, yet somehow had some muscles to those bones.

"Nah," she grunted, and flopped down on the first sun lounge. She pointed to her ice-cream with her free hand. "I've only got one hand and I ain't sacrificing my ice-cream."

Pearl rolled her eyes and sighed, dropping the second sun lounge a metre away from the first. As she went to sit down, Garnet interrupted her.

"Pearl, come help me with the pool."

She sighed again and sauntered back to the shed, where Garnet had her face stuck into the darkness.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked as Garnet pulled out a deflated pool.

"I'll need you to find the air pump - please."

"Alright."

"Don't worry, Amethyst isn't off the hook." Garnet winked and flicked down the shades resting in her afro over her eyes.

Whilst Garnet brought the pool onto the grassed backyard, Pearl searched through the junk in the shed until she found the pump after a few minutes.

"Do you want me to get Amethyst to pump the pool?" Pearl asked as she dropped the pump by Garnet's feet.

Garnet hummed. "Yeah, that'll be good."

Pearl strolled back to the sun lounges where Amethyst was still lying around. She eyed the half-eaten ice-cream in her hand; Amethyst never took her time eating. Her style was more shove-it-down-her-throat-in-two-seconds.

"You're eating slowly to get out of helping us," Pearl observed in annoyance.

"What? No, of course not," Amethyst lied, but didn't bother convincing Pearl.

"Go on, help Garnet. You can pump with one hand."

Amethyst groaned. "Pearrrrrl, I don't want to drop my ice-cream."

Pearl plucked the confectionery from Amethyst's hands. "I'll hold it for you. Now go help set up the pool."

"It'll melt."

"It won't if you do your job fast."

Amethyst pouted in defeat and kicked the ground, before running off to pump the pool. Pearl grinned victoriously and laid back in the lounge. She grabbed the sunscreen she left beside it and began rubbing it over her pale skin with her free hand.

Eyeing the melting ice-cream beginning to dribble over her fingers, she yelled out, "Amethyst hurry up! It's melting on me!"

As if on cue, Amethyst abandoned her post and leapt onto Pearl lap, taking the ice-cream with her chubby fingers and shoving half of it in her mouth. _That_ was more her style of eating.

Pearl grimaced and flicked her fingers, eager to get the liquid off her fingers, when Amethyst grabbed her hand and began licking her fingers like a dog. Pearl's grimace increased, horror etching on her face, but it contradicted the fast-growing blush on her cheeks.

"Amethyst!" she scolded, ripping her hand away from her grasp. "Your saliva isn't any better than the ice-cream."

Amethyst grunted, but a cheeky smile curved her lips. "You don't seem to mind when we're making out."

The heat in her cheeks burned furthermore. "That's… different! Now go finish helping Garnet."

"I did." Amethyst grabbed Pearl's hand with the sunscreen in it. "Moisturise me."

Pearl frowned, ignoring Amethyst's chosen words. "I'm not done putting it on myself yet."

Amethyst squished the bottle in Pearl's hand, dripping some into her other hand. "I'll help."

"Thank you, but you don't need to."

Amethyst shrugged and began rubbing circles of the sunscreen onto the exposed part of Pearl's back, thanks to her tank top. Honestly, Amethyst liked to feel Pearl's bones and muscles and to massage her skin, so it was more of a favour to herself than to Pearl.

Once Pearl's pale skin was covered thick in sunscreen, Amethyst tried her tactic again, hoping to gain a better reaction.

She thrust the sunscreen into Pearl. "Moisturise me."

Pearl rolled her eyes amusedly, but played along. As she rubbed sunscreen onto Amethyst, she murmured, "I've always admired your skin. It's such a nice tone, and soft."

"Oh, uh, thanks?" Amethyst replied, unfamiliar to sporadic compliments.

Pearl hummed in response and finished massaging the last of the sunscreen into Amethyst's skin.

"I really like it when you moisturise me," Amethyst teased, winking for effect.

Pearl rolled her eyes and shoved a hand into Amethyst's face playfully, pushing her off her lap. She landed on her back in the growing grass, and Pearl couldn't help giggling at the surprised look on her face.

Pearl knew all too well if she extended a hand to help Amethyst up at this time, she'd just be dragged down, so she left her on the ground. Pearl sent a coy smile over her shoulder as she sauntered away.

Garnet had the hose in the pool, and the water was almost reaching the brim. She wrapped one arm around Pearl's shoulder as she stopped by her side, observing the water level.

Pearl had stuck her finger into the water, testing the temperature, when Garnet asked, "Is Amethyst being overbearing?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Pearl answered proudly.

Amethyst bounded over to the both of them after recovering, cuddling into Garnet's side, opposite Pearl. She reached up on her tippy toes and whispered into Garnet's ear.

"Moisturise me."

"Okay."

Garnet reached her hand into the pool and briskly whipped out the hose, pointing it at Amethyst. The water splashed against her face, drenching her clothes and wild hair.

"Hey, no fair!" Amethyst cried out as she shielded her face with her arms, growling at the hysterical laughter of Pearl in the background.

"You asked me to moisturise you," Garnet deadpanned.

Amethyst pushed against the stream of water and grabbed Garnet's wrist before leaping into the pool, dragging the both of them into the water. They flopped in with a large splash, the water splotching Pearl's clothes as she flinched back (though she was still laughing at it all).

Garnet stood up, the water rising as high as her hips, whilst Amethyst only kept her head above the water. They sent each other a scandalous look, and after spending a year with them, Pearl knew what it meant.

"Oh no no no no," she repeated in a guarded tone, backing off from the pool as Amethyst's snickers filled the air.

Garnet hauled herself out of the pool and Pearl darted behind the sun lounges. Unfazed, Garnet leant over the lounges and wrapped her arms around Pearl's waist, the latter still repeating her pleas. Pearl was no weight for Garnet, and she easily hefted her to the pool.

"Garnet, no! Don't do this!" Pearl insisted, trying to claw out of her grasp.

"It's only fair that we all get moisturised," she reasoned, grinning smugly as she dropped Pearl into the pool.

Pearl resurfaced immediately, scowling at her wet clothes clinging to her body, Amethyst howling with laughter next to her. In a last desperate attempt to ward off her attackers, she grabbed the hose still filling up the pool and flicked it in Garnet's direction.

"Oh, is it a water fight you want?" Garnet asked through helpless chuckles as the stream of water suffocated her vision.

"Perhaps."

Garnet grabbed a part of the hose close to her feet and tugged it, slipping it out of Pearl's hands. Water went flying everywhere, splashing all three of them, but Garnet got her bearings and armed herself with the hose.

She aimed the hose at her counterparts. "You better run."

* * *

A/N: prompt - "Imagine Person A muttering "Moisturize me." to Person B. Bonus: Person C uses a hose to spray A, with B laughing in the corner." from otpprompts on tumblr

Little Snuggle: the title certainly is a reference to Feint - Words ! and that is a very tempting prompt omg, might have to write it out soon!


	4. The Percy to My Pierre

Pairing: Light/Early Lapidot

AU: Human

Warnings: N/A

Summary: How to win Peridot's heart; cosplay Percy.

* * *

The Percy to My Pierre

There was always one thing Peridot always believed in, and that was that she was just average. Average at basically anything. She exceeded in the mathematics and engineering departments, but that was about it. Oh, and playing games too; she was alright at that.

But being good at those things and average at everything else didn't make you popular. Or likeable really.

People judged you on what you could give them; whether good looks, entertainment, or a decent personality to enjoy.

She had contemplated many times starting a Let's Play channel on Youtube, but whilst she was a decent gamer, she didn't have the social butterfly personality to effectively commentate. Nor was her voice desirable to listen to.

So she didn't really have anything boasting for when she first made her Instagram account. She had no idea what propelled her to make one in the first place. Maybe it was the fact that a lot of people she knew online had made it big on Instagram or Tumblr. But the latter was… well, had some toxic regions to it, more so than any other site she had encountered.

Peridot's first posts were simply selfies. Now, she didn't think she was anything but average in looks, but that was good, because that didn't mean she was bad looking either. Her face was narrow and long, with a small pointy chin and somewhat defined jawbone. Her nose felt too small for her face, but it wasn't freakishly tiny. Then there was the massive glasses propped on her nose, something she literally couldn't live without. She didn't know whether that hindered or boosted her attractiveness - probably both, depending on personal types.

On her good days, she reminded herself that an average was still a pass on a test.

But there was someone out there that was definitely _not_ an average.

It had been roughly a month ago when Peridot first found the user. She had just posted a selfie of herself with her blonde hair tousled in a different fashion and wearing a camo green unbuttoned shirt. An attempt to cosplay as one of her two favourite characters from _Camp Pining Hearts_ ; Percy.

She wasn't very popular on Instagram. At all. But that selfie of her attempted cosplay gained her a few more followers.

One of them had the alias _water-witch_.

Peridot scanned through their profile. It seemed this person was a girl who looked roughly her age, perhaps a few years older, and was also interested in _Camp Pining Hearts_. A few of her selfies were of her own Percy cosplay, and Peridot shrunk in on herself. This girl had a way better cosplay of him, save for her dyed cobalt blue hair.

This girl was super popular compared to Peridot. She hated resorting to comparing follower amounts, but she couldn't help the pang of jealousy. Yet… this girl was now following her own selfies, and her sense of pride swelled.

Her name was Lapis. That was a month ago.

Peridot arrived home from an exhausting day of work. She needed as many hours as she could get before her next semester of university started again. Save up to support herself and whatnot. So, what better job than working at a small but busy cafe? (Cue sarcasm.)

Peridot collapsed into her sofa face first, groaning into the cushions. She would need several cups of bitter, dull coffee to keep her awake for the night. Or coke. Soft drinks were always preferred for her.

"You okay there buddy?"

Peridot jerked up and squinted at the onlooker.

A short woman with fawn skin, clad in her loose pyjamas, leant against the wall and sent Peridot a tantalising smile.

"You try working for eight hours on your feet, Amethyst," Peridot snapped, then flopped back face first into the cushions.

"Tried it; didn't like it."

"You can't just decide if you want to work or not," came Peridot's muffled reply.

"Ugh, whatever, don't need a lecture." Amethyst sunk into the cushion beside Peridot's head, her dyed lavender hair tangling with Peridot's blonde mess. "Why don't we watch that show of yours? That always makes you feel better."

Peridot raised herself from her compromising position and sat on the couch properly. "No, I'm okay. Plus, I've watched all the episodes at least four times, and it get's repetitive by the fifth time over."

"Never thought I'd hear you say that."

Peridot rolled her eyes. "I'll just take a shower and rest for a bit."

Amethyst had a habit of arguing, and living in a room of literal garbage, but she wasn't bad as far as roommates go. Despite all the teasing, she was quite supportive, and when she wasn't lazy she could be really helpful around the apartment. Plus, she was a big help with Peridot's cosplays, being a natural at hairdressing and cosmetics despite her own untamed mane.

Peridot wasn't meant to end up with Amethyst, or with anyone at all, but she was quite happy to have a roommate. It meant less money to give out to rent. Pearl was supposed to home Amethyst, but Rose took her spot in the house when she couldn't live with her boyfriend. Garnet would've stayed with her parents if the university hadn't been so far away. It turned out three was a big enough crowd.

Peridot finished her shower after twenty minutes and dressed in her alien boxers and oversized black hoodie. She pocketed her phone and returned back to the lounge room, where Amethyst was luxuriously lounging on the only couch. Peridot nudged her short legs, giving her enough room to lean back into the couch.

"Ugh, you're watching this show again?" Peridot jeered, frowning at the small old man playing as a butler on the television.

"Says you, watching the entire five seasons of _Camp Pining Hearts_ four times," Amethyst retorted and returned to indulging in _Little Butler_.

She had a fair point, but at least _Camp Pining Hearts_ wasn't trash. Peridot didn't dare say that out loud.

Instead, she let Amethyst watch her crummy show and pulled out her phone. She couldn't help herself and took a quick picture of herself in her pyjamas. As she went on Instagram to contemplate posting the selfie, she spotted a new post from _water-witch_. After a month of planning, she had finally released her full Percy cosplay, and Peridot was enamoured.

Her usual deep blue hair was dyed sandy blonde, her fringe swept out of her eyes, and she donned the perfect _Camp Pining Hearts_ yellow team attire. Under the picture read the caption, " _Going to the BCC in three days! Will be cosplaying as Percy, meet me there [heart emoticon]_ ".

BCC. Beach City Convention.

Peridot flinched in excitement and her phone slipped out of her grasp. Amethyst sent her a curious look.

"What's got you so hyped up?"

Peridot turned to her with a giddy grin. "Ams! I need your help!"

* * *

"So what are you hoping to do when you get to BCC?" Amethyst asked, threading a needle through an embroidery and into the green fabric behind it. "Woo her with your extreme dorkiness?"

"No!" Peridot spluttered, squirming into the black cargo pants. "Just meet her, say hi, get a picture with her."

"And then woo her?"

Peridot watched Amethyst's fingers work the needle. "… No."

"Riiight."

"Just hurry up and finish sewing that! I have to leave in an hour!"

Amethyst snorted. "I get your enthusiasm man, but if you want a time limit, do it yourself!"

"I'm sorry! Sorry. You know if I try to stitch I'll stick the needle through my own finger."

"Yeah, I know. I'm almost done."

She wasn't lying. A minute later, and the collared jacket was tugged on Peridot's arms and over her back. It was a little big, but they only had two days to go shopping, and beggars couldn't be choosers.

Peridot bolted to the mirror and spun around in front of it, admiring the full attire. The cargos, the camo jacket, the white tank top underneath, and the black combat boots looked _really_ good on her. The cosplay was a rough job, but it surprisingly looked decent for a short time limit. She tied a yellow sash onto her left thigh and stood up proudly. Of course, a lot of the work was done by Amethyst, and she had to thank her for that.

"How do I look?" she asked as she whirled around again to face Amethyst.

"Like a professional dork," Amethyst teased, then brought over a light brown wig. "C'mon, let's get you into this and you'll be all ready."

Peridot stood patiently in front of the mirror, watching Amethyst fit the wig over her defiant hair. After a few attempt's, Peridot's hair finally yielded and the wig was fitted comfortably on her head. Amethyst combed through the fake hair with hair gel, getting it to the right style of the picture on her phone.

"Alright, I know you're cosplaying as a dude, but some eyeliner wouldn't hurt," Amethyst suggested, pulling out her bag of make-up.

Peridot shrugged. It didn't make much of a difference for her.

Amethyst gently tugged off Peridot's glasses and quickly applied eyeliner to her face. Placing the glasses back on her face, she grinned proudly.

"Well, aren't you the cutest lil' Pierre," she taunted half-heartedly. "If only you had contacts."

"They're a bit too uncomfortable for me," Peridot admitted. "But hopefully Lapis will recognise me with my glasses!"

Amethyst hummed. "Well, my job is done. It's time for you to take off to the big city."

Peridot wrapped her arms around her friend. "Thank you for helping me Ams. I will make sure to repay the favour!"

"Yeah, whatever nerd," Amethyst replied sheepishly. "Now go get yourself a girlfriend! Cosplaying as a guy… Does that mean it's yaoi?"

"Save the existential questions for another time. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

Amethyst smiled as she leant back into the couch. "See ya P-dork."

Peridot borrowed Amethyst's cheap car and took out of the car park. Only two hours until she arrived at BCC.

* * *

By the time Peridot reached Beach City, she was feeling drowsy. Driving for two hours straight had that effect, but she was determined to reach the convention as soon as possible. She navigated the streets for a ten minutes until she reached the backpackers she'd seen online. Being organised, she'd booked a night there two nights before, not wanting to risk sleeping in the car for a night because of the lack of rooms.

She reached the front desk, signing into her room and trying to ignore the glances her way because of her cosplay. She quickly dropped her bag of clothes and other necessitates, opting to only take her small _Camp Pining Hearts_ styled backpack for her wallet, phone, and other things. Before she left, she took a quick selfie and posted it on Instagram with the caption, " _On my way to BCC as Pierre!_ "

Peridot left the backpackers and made her way to the host building for BCC. When she arrived, her mouth dropped at the size of the place. She expected a small building, with no more than 1000 people attending, but it seemed much bigger than that. From what she could tell, there was an inside _and_ outside area for the guests. She had no idea how she would find Lapis.

A few of the stalls caught her attention, and she drifted away from looking for Lapis for a while as she navigated the different fandoms she was currently and had been apart of. She nearly fell over in shock when she saw one for _Camp Pining Hearts_.

The stall wasn't too big, with two people managing it, and unfortunately neither were from the cast. Peridot gazed over the merchandise and such, eyes gleaming in awe. With her limited supply of money, she had tried to buy as much merch as possible, but everything at this stall she'd never seen before. She couldn't help but indulge in buying _something_.

"Hey look, it's a Pierre," the guy at the stall greeted, leaning onto the desk. The woman beside him sent a gleeful grin at Peridot.

"Hi!" Peridot chirped, gazing more at the merchandise than the people. "You guys have such cool merch! I haven't seen any of this stuff before."

"You lookin' to buy something?"

"I'd love to!" Peridot scanned the stall and rested her eyes on the collection of jewellery. She pointed at a necklace with the official _Camp Pining Hearts_ logo carved in sterling silver hooked to it. "May I get this necklace?"

"Sure thing," the woman answered, grabbing the necklace from the rack. "That'll be $25."

Peridot hesitated, then payed the money and lunged for the necklace. She had plenty of money to spend, no need to worry.

"I'll probably be back later for more," Peridot bashfully admitted. "Oh! And who are you guys?"

"Oh! We're two of the story boarders. Jeff and Hilary," the guy answered. "Please to meet you little Pierre!"

Peridot shot them a grin. "You too!"

As she went to walk away from the store, someone behind her questioned, " _Camp Pining Hearts_ fan, huh?"

She spun around with a proud smile. "Yeah, only the bes— Lapis!?"

"You know me?" the woman in question asked, raising an eyebrow and her mouth twitching into a smile.

In person, Lapis looked a hundred times more stunning, even cosplaying as Percy. Blonde was surprisingly a good colour on her, though Peridot did prefer her unique blue dyed hair. She stood a couple of inches above Peridot, but that was merely because Peridot was a short person.

"Um, y-yes! I follow you on your Instagram _water-witch_!" She fiddled with her hands nervously. "Y-you follow me too. I'm Peridot, or _space-dorito_ on Instagram."

"Oh my stars, really?" Lapis knelt to Peridot's height, gazing her over and checking out her cosplay (or checking _her_ out, Peridot didn't want to assume). "That's such a great Pierre cosplay that I didn't even recognise you!"

"Heh, well, my friend and I made this in three days. It's nowhere near as good as your cosplay though," Peridot admitted, rubbing her arm sheepishly.

"Aw, thanks! I would've thought you'd have cosplayed Percy as well."

"That was the original plan, but since you cosplayed as him I thought better of it."

"Just because I'm Percy, doesn't mean you can't be Percy as well."

"W-well…" Peridot bit her lip. "It's more than just that. I thought it'd be c-clever to be Pierre if you were Percy, because they're objectively the best ship!"

Lapis snort-giggled, and Peridot felt herself swoon at such a unique and gorgeous laugh.

"Oh man, you're a Piercy shipper as well?" she asked through snorts.

"Well of course! Wait, you ship them too?"

"Obviously. Paulette is no match for Pierre. C'mon, let's walk and talk."

Lapis guided them away from the stall and through alleyways of other stalls, some of them Peridot recognising.

"So from the sounds of it, you came here to see me?" Lapis asked, resting her hand on Peridot's shoulder.

She blushed at the contact. "Yeah, drove for two hours."

"Really? Wow, I'm flattered."

"I'm flattered you follow me on Instagram."

"What can I say, you're cute."

Peridot's blush deepened. "I am not c—… wow, thanks."

Lapis smiled deviously and stopped in front of a small, empty stall. "So is cosplaying as Pierre and coming two hours to see me as Percy your way of flirting?"

"N-no!" Peridot stammered. "I just think you're really… cool."

Lapis entered the stall and sat on the chair in the centre of it. "Well, welcome to my stall! I'm with a friend, but they've gone elsewhere at the moment."

"D-do you have to stay here?" Peridot asked, glancing around the alleyway.

"What are you suggesting?" Lapis questioned, raising an eyebrow. Peridot avoided her skeptical look.

"W-well, I haven't been here long, m-maybe we could look around together?"

Lapis hummed. "That is a tempting offer. I would like to look around with little Pierre."

Peridot frowned at the reference to her height.

"How about we exchange numbers? I can call or text you when I've packed the stall up and we can check out around the place. After all, I do have people who want to visit me."

"That would be cool!" Peridot dragged her phone out of her backpack and opened her contacts, giving the phone to Lapis to write her details in. Lapis handed her phone to Peridot for the same. Peridot wrote her details seriously, but when she received her phone back she chuckled at the name Lapis had given herself; _Lapis (spicy™ + the new bae)_.

"Go have fun, I'll call you when I'm finished here," Lapis remarked, sending an odd smile at Peridot. "And maybe if you're free tonight, I can show you around Beach City."

Peridot's face reddened and she nodded vigorously. As she sauntered away from the makeshift stall, her heart thundering in her chest, she thought of Amethyst's comment, " _So what are you hoping to do when you get to BCC?_ _Woo her with your extreme dorkiness?_ "

Perhaps she was.

* * *

A/N: prompt - "Imagine Person A of your OTP has been following Person B on social media for a long time. They're mutuals who post about similar things, but Person B is way more popular. Then Person B posts a picture of themself in cosplay, saying they're going to be at an event and people can drop in to say hi and take pictures. Now imagine Person A driving for several hours to meet Person B at the event. Bonus: Person A cosplays as the love interest of Person B's cosplay." from otpprompts on tumblr

these prompts are so much fun to do omg

nudges at the storyboarders


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